Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Batteries

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average decline in battery efficiency in each year of a passenger vehicle's life.

Jesse Norman: The Department has not made an estimate of the average decline in battery efficiency in each year of a passenger vehicle’s life. The Faraday Institute is the independent research vehicle for the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s £246m Faraday Battery Challenge. Improving our understanding of the performance of lithium ion batteries over time in electrified vehicles is an important part of the Faraday Institute’s role. That is why of the Institute’s four ‘Fast Start’ projects, with up to £42 million in funding, two will look at improving our understanding of batteries: extending battery life and battery systems modelling. In order for a car to be eligible to receive the Government’s Plug-in Car Grant of up to £4,500 off the cost of a new vehicle, the manufacturer must provide a minimum five year warranty on the battery and electric drive train, and extra evidence of battery performance to show reasonable performance after three years of use.

Lakeside Energy From Waste

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the role of the high temperature incinerator at the Lakeside Energy from Waste facility in the disposal of waste from the Salisbury novichok incident demonstrates that that facility is of national strategic significance in the context of the Airports National Policy Statement; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: This Government welcomes the support from the operators Grundon at the high temperature incinerator at Lakeside which is being used for the safe disposal of waste produced by decontamination work following the Salisbury incident. The facility is one of several high temperature incinerators in the UK capable of incinerating large quantities of such waste. The Government therefore does not consider the status of the plant to have changed from that described in the Airports National Policy Statement.

Motorways: Cambridge and Oxford

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce his decision on the preferred corridor for the Oxford-Cambridge expressway.

Jesse Norman: The Oxford to Cambridge Expressway corridor decision will be announced in the coming months.

Roads: Hampshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2018 to Question 903381 on Road Links: Kent and the South-east, when the hon. Member for Hereford and South Herefordshire plans to visit Botley.

Jesse Norman: A visit to Botley is planned for later this year.

Roads: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to Nottinghamshire for the (a) repair of and (b) prevention of potholes.

Jesse Norman: The Government is providing Nottinghamshire County Council, as a local highway authority, with £96.857 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 for local highways maintenance. This funding includes £3.667 million from the Pothole Action Fund, to repair potholes or to stop them forming in the first place.

Railways: Freight

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department issues to rail freight operators on idling in residential areas.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport does not issue guidance to rail freight operators regarding operational matters. A number of operators are taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint, including the retrofitting of stop-start technology to a number of locomotives to minimise idling.

Railways: Air Pollution

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Rail Delivery Group on that organisation’s air quality impact study.

Joseph Johnson: Government has asked the industry to set up a taskforce that will look at how to decarbonise the rail industry and improve air quality through reducing harmful emissions produced by the rail industry. The taskforce will report back before the end of the year. The Department is supporting DEFRA’s Clean Air Strategy which these actions will support. The consultation on this strategy is available at: (https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/clean-air-strategy-consultation/)

Railways: Air Pollution

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2017 to Question 115264 on Railways: Freight, whether the air quality impact study undertaken by the Rail Delivery Group’s freight air quality group has been published.

Joseph Johnson: The Rail Delivery Group have not published their Air Quality Impact study.

Railways: Freight

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will issue guidance to (a) Network Rail and (b) rail operating companies on speed limits for freight trains during night time hours in residential areas.

Joseph Johnson: The maximum permissible speed that freight trains can travel over sections of the network is a matter for Network Rail as infrastructure manager. Network Rail published a Freight Network Study in April 2017, setting out the industry’s priorities for enhancing the rail freight network. The Study includes an aspiration to reduce end-to-end journey times through increased line speeds, providing a more consistent speed profile. This would minimise the number and duration of stops made in passing loops, reducing the noise impact of freight services on lineside neighbours.

East-West Rail Link: Electrification

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make his policy to electrify the East-West rail line between Oxford and Cambridge.

Joseph Johnson: Passengers will enjoy significant benefits from the programme through the introduction of fast, reliable trains on brand new routes across the corridor, unlocking transformational housing and economic growth, irrespective of the method of train propulsion. Rolling stock type will be a decision to be taken at a later date.

Cherwell Valley Railway Line: Electrification

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for a decision to be made on the future electrification of the railway line between Oxford and Didcot Parkway.

Joseph Johnson: Work has recently begun with Network Rail to understand the requirements for further development of this scheme, which will establish the timetable. This scheme will be taken forward for consideration for approval through the new enhancements pipeline process announced in March 2018. Investment into this scheme will be subject to affordability and value for money assessment.

Railways: Oxford

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to deliver the electrification of freight services running through Oxford.

Joseph Johnson: Freight movement by rail is already significantly less carbon intensive than by road transport, but there is more to do within the rail sector itself. I have tasked the railway to provide a vision for how it will decarbonise and new bi-modes trains are a great bridging technology to other low emission futures.

Railways: Oxford

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has held with Network Rail on (a) planned changes in the volume of rail freight and (b) the (i) length of freight trains (ii) weight of freight trains and (iii) the type of cargo being transported on freight trains passing through Oxford in the next five years.

Joseph Johnson: Neither the Department for Transport nor Network Rail specifies the level or type of freight services operating on the network. This is a commercial matter for the Freight Operating Companies and is a function of market demand.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will instruct Highways England to consider lane widening as part of its proposals to introduce variable speed limits through motorway emergency works.

Jesse Norman: As announced in Highways England’s 2018/2019 Delivery Plan, this year they will test whether it is safe to operate at 60mph through roadworks in certain circumstances. These tests will include consideration of lane width. Highways England are responsible for developing these tests based on their knowledge of the network, driver behaviour and location-specific assessments.

Roads: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the pothole action fund is planned to be allocated to London borough councils.

Jesse Norman: The responsibility for local highways maintenance in London, including repairing potholes, is a devolved matter. Therefore funding for the repair of potholes and local highway maintenance falls to Transport for London and the London Boroughs. The Department for Transport did, however, allocate an extra £2.234 million to local highway authorities in London in December 2017 from the pothole action fund.

TfL Rail: Mobile Phones

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with TfL on improving the availability of mobile phone coverage on TfL Rail services.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has had no discussions with Transport for London regarding this matter.

Large Goods Vehicles: Weight Limits

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact assessment his Department carried out on legislative changes to the operating weight of MCBP vehicles.

Jesse Norman: There have been no legislative changes to the weight limits applicable to Mobile Concrete Batching Plant (MCBP) vehicles. The applicable legal requirements remain the same as those that apply to all heavy goods vehicles, including barrel concrete mixers. The Department does not in general conduct impact assessments on the application of existing legal requirements. In April 2018 the Department put in place a temporary administrative arrangement to enable much of the current fleet of vehicles to be legally operated for up to the next 10 years above the standard weight limits. This is intended to provide relevant operators with time to come into compliance with those currently-applicable limits.

Large Goods Vehicles: Regulation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what economic impact assessment his Department has carried out on changes to the regulation of MCBP vehicles.

Jesse Norman: In September 2017 regulations were made that removed exemptions from statutory vehicle testing for a number of specialised heavy vehicles, including Mobile Concrete Batching Plant (MCBP). An impact assessment was published alongside these regulations. In January 2018 regulations were made that modified exemptions from operator licensing for certain vehicle types, including MCBP. No formal impact assessment was produced as the costs implied were estimated to be below the threshold considered proportionate. There have been no legislative changes to the weight limits applicable to MCBP vehicles.

Roads: Capital Investment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce funding decisions for the second Road Investment Strategy funding period.

Jesse Norman: The Government intends to publish the total public funds available to Highways England for the second Road Period in the coming months. Decisions about schemes to be funded in the second Road Investment Strategy period will be announced in 2019.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Tolls

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) communications and (b) meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with (i) Halton Borough Council, (ii) Mersey Gateway since the ruling of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal on the legal enforceability of the Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Ministers have had no communications or meetings with Halton Borough Council or the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, since the ruling of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal on the legal enforceability of the Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls. Halton Borough Council have been in contact with Department officials regarding their response to the ruling. The Department has no plans to intervene in this issue.

Tolls: Liverpool City Region

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will undertake research to identify the economic impact on the Liverpool City Region of tolls on the (a) Mersey Gateway Bridge, (b) Silver Jubilee Bridge, (c) Kingsway Tunnel and (d) Queensway Tunnel.

Jesse Norman: The Department has agreed with Halton Borough Council that they will produce a monitoring and evaluation report, one year and five years after the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge. The five year report will include consideration of the economic effects of the scheme. The Department has no plans to undertake research on other crossings in the region.

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive: Finance

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to Nexus in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: The Department has provided Nexus Metro with significant funding every year. The specific amounts covering capital and revenue funding are:2010/2011£ 60,641,3722011/2012£ 59,594,5462012/2013£ 57,787,9392013/2014£ 57,222,7532014/2015£ 52,423,6242015/2016£ 57,057,8512016/2017£ 56,771,7982017/2018£ 49,311,5862018/2019 *£ 49,248,356* Grant claimed based upon estimated figure Note that the grant payable since 2010/11 has been subject to indexation and taking account of expected efficiencies. Furthermore, in the 2017 Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a £337m direct grant to deliver a new fleet of trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the financial guarantee given to ensure the operators of the Mersey Gateway Bridge have no financial shortfall as a result of lower than expected traffic across that bridge has yet been called upon.

Jesse Norman: The financial guarantee has not been called upon.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Tolls

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many penalty charge notices issued by Merseyflow to people for failure to pay the toll on the Mersey Gateway Bridge have been appealed to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal; and how many of those appeals were successful.

Jesse Norman: The Mersey Gateway Bridge and its tolling system are the responsibility of Halton Borough Council. The Government does not hold the information requested.

Railways: Fares

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average cost of a train ticket purchased in the (a) South East, (b) South West, (c) North East, (d) North West, (e) West Midlands, (f) East Midlands, (g) East Anglia, (h) Yorkshire and the Humber and (i) Greater London; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the average costs of those train tickets for each of those regions in each of the last ten years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold this information.

Railways: Fares

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average cost of a train ticket per mile of track covered for the journey covered by that ticket in each of the last three years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold this information.

Cycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the levels of uptake for Cycle to Work Scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage uptake of that scheme.

Jesse Norman: The Government has not undertaken any detailed assessment of the levels of uptake of the Cycle to Work Scheme. Bicycles provided under the cycle to work scheme are tax exempt, and so no data is reported to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The Department for Transport is currently in the process of updating the Cycle to Work Scheme guidance, and plans to make a further announcement later in the year.

Cycling: Training

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Bikeability training places his Department funded in schools in each of the last two academic years.

Jesse Norman: Since the start of the Bikeability training program more than 2.25 million children have been trained. The Department for Transport has provided funding to deliver approximately 350,000 Bikeability training places over the last two academic years. Details of grant awards and delivery statistics can be found on the Bikeability website: https://bikeability.dft.gov.uk/publication.

Railways: South East

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) number and (b) quality of rail services in the South East.

Joseph Johnson: We constantly strive to improve the quality of rail services across all franchises. We expect the next South Eastern franchise to include a modern fleet of trains with more space for passengers, more reliable journeys, and improved customer service, including communication during disruption. The Secretary of State wishes for the next franchise to signal a new approach to rail franchising, including through the formation of an alliance with Network Rail, building on the positive steps made by the current operator.

Abellio Greater Anglia: Compensation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for introducing Delay Repay 15 on Greater Anglia services; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Before implementing Delay Repay 15 (DR15) as a new requirement during the life of an existing franchise, it is important that the Department establishes that the proposals from the Train Operating Company are robust and affordable. Work continues with Greater Anglia, however this work is commercially sensitive and at present we do not intend to publish a timetable for conclusion of this work. Any announcement regarding the introduction of DR15 on Greater Anglia will be made when commercial agreement with the train operating company has been reached.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Immigration Controls

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on Israel’s immigration policy which restricts the access of international passport holders to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement and access into and out of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We continue to raise these wider concerns with the Israeli authorities. However it is for Israel to decide its immigration policy. We have updated our travel advice recommending that concerned UK nationals contact the Israeli Embassy for further information.

Burma: Armed Forces

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the EU suspension of invitations to senior military officers from Burma to visit the EU remains in place.

Mark Field: ​The former Foreign Secretary secured EU agreement to suspend invitations to the Commander-in-chief of Burma's armed forces and other senior Burmese military officers at the Foreign Affairs Council in October 2017. This suspension remains in place. The EU Foreign Affairs Council in February 2018 concluded that the EU should prepare targeted measures including travel bans and asset freezes against a further seven Burmese military officers which came into force in June 2018.

Burma: Political Prisoners

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council raised the detention of political prisoners with Aung San Suu Kyi when they met during the visit of the Security Council delegation to Burma.

Mark Field: The UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York did not raise the detention of political prisoners during the UN Security Council's visit to Burma. The purpose of the Security Council visit was to further its efforts to address the crisis since 25 August 2017 and to urge progress on conditions for refugee returns and on accountability for abuses in Rakhine State.The British Embassy in Burma has raised the issue of political prisoners on several occasions with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and her ministers. Since her Government took office in April 2016, at least 160 political prisoners have been released. However, we believe there to be still 45 political prisoners in Burma. Our Embassy in Burma continues to support the work of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weaopns on the interim report of the Fact-Finding Mission on Chemical Weapons Use Allegations in Douma, Syria in 2018.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary met the Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weaopns (OPCW) on 16 August to discuss the work of the organisation, including its investigations into reports of chemical weapons use in Syria. The OPCW plays a vital role in upholding the international norms against chemical weapons. We support their expert, impartial and thorough work and I look forward to seeing the full conclusions of the OPCW Fact Finding Mission once the investigation is complete.The British Government has made clear that it condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone anywhere and that those who use chemical weapons should be held to account.

Gulf Strategy Unit: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 47638, what the source of the funding was for the administration costs of £70,004 for the Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team in financial year 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: Funding for the Integrated Delivery Team was allocated by the Treasury to the Cabinet Office in financial year 2015-16.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was spent from the Integrated Activity Fund in the financial year 2017-18.

Alistair Burt: Overall spend from the Gulf Strategy Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) in financial year 2017/18 was £13,926,204. This figure is subject to final Departmental audits.

Abduljalil Abdulla al-Singace

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Government of Bahrain on the refusal by Jau prison authorities to allow Bahraini academic Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace to attend a medical appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​We have raised the case of Dr Al Singace with the Bahraini authorities at a senior level and continue to closely monitor the case. The UK encourages those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We urge those bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Hamed bin Haydara

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received reports on the condition of Mr Hamed bin Haydara, a Baha’i prisoner in Sana’a, Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We were deeply concerned to receive reports of a decline in Mr bin Haydara's health. We have called on several occasions for his release, and renewed these following the news that he was sentenced to death in January. We have asked partners with access to the Houthis to raise this case and to insist that Mr bin Haydara receives necessary medical attention. We continue to monitor the situation.

Yemen: Baha'i Faith

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on reports of the Government of Iran encouraging  the Houthi to persecute the Baha’i community in Sana’a, Yemen.

Alistair Burt: ​We are aware of allegations of the involvement of Iran in the persecution of Baha'i individuals in Houthi-controlled Yemen, however it is impossible to verify these under the current conflict conditions. We continue to raise our concerns about the treatment of the Baha'i with those who have access to the Houthis, and the Iranians.

Burma: Rohingya

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the United Nations Security Council to refer the people responsible for the situation of the Rohinga in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

Mark Field: It is our assessment pushing for a Security Council resolution that includes a referral to the International Criminal Court would not be productive in our efforts at this point to ensure accountability and persuade the Burmese authorities to make faster progress on refugee returns, nor would it receive support without veto amongst UNSC members. When the UN Security Council considers the final UN Fact Finding Mission report on Burma, we will have the opportunity to explore urgently all options to ensure accountability, including ICC referral, while also pushing for accelerated progress on refugee returns.

Japan: Floods

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic assistance the Government is providing to Japan as a result of recent floods in that country.

Mark Field: The British government is deeply saddened by the high death toll from recent flooding in Japan. Her Majesty The Queen and the Prime Minister have sent messages of condolence and offered UK support. Japan has a highly advanced set of emergency personal services to deal with natural disasters. The Japanese government did not request assistance, but the UK stands ready to provide support to Japan as one of our closest partners.​

Hamas

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on trends in and the extent of radicalisation by Hamas of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on trends in radicalisation, we are very concerned by the recent violence in Gaza. Hamas must cease all attacks against Israel, commit to non-violence and make movements towards peace. The UK will continue to condemn strongly all violence and incitement to commit violence, and support the return of the Palestinian Authority to administer Gaza.

Hamas

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of Hamas-led rocket attacks against Israel there have been in each of the last twelve months.

Alistair Burt: Between 1 September 2017 and 31 July 2018 according to figures provided by Israeli security agencies, 160 rocket launching attacks were conducted from Gaza at Israel, with 393 rockets launched. We hold no information on which group fired the rockets. Rocket attacks wreak havoc on the daily lives of Israelis and make achieving peace more difficult. We call on all parties to refrain from violence and to commit to a negotiated solution to end the conflict.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his polices of the submissions on proposed procedural amendments to check the misuse of blasphemy law in Pakistan authored by the Pakistani National Commission for Human Rights.

Mark Field: We remain deeply concerned at the misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan. The blasphemy laws are used against Pakistanis belonging to all faiths although religious minorities are disproportionately affected. This is particularly concerning given the harsh penalties for blasphemy, including the death penalty.We have regularly raised our human rights concerns with the previous Government of Pakistan at a senior level, and have urged them to take steps to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy laws. My colleague, the Minister of State for Commonwealth and the UN, discussed the issue of freedom of religion or belief with the former Minister of Interior in February 2018. During my most recent visit to Pakistan in November 2017, I raised discrimination against religious minorities with the Ministry of Human Rights, and shall do again in my visit later this year.We will continue to press the new Government of Pakistan to adhere to its international obligations and uphold the rule of law.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Bahraini Government to remove restrictions on the activities of civil society and to end politically motivated prosecutions.

Alistair Burt: The UK enjoys a close relationship with the Government of Bahrain which allows us to speak honestly about a range of issues, including human rights. Where we have concerns we continue to raise them at a senior level.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Females

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department planned to allocate to the Community Prisons for Women; how much savings have been accrued as a result of the cancellation of those prisons; to which programmes those savings have been allocated; and how much of those savings have been allocated to the rehabilitation and support of female offenders.

Edward Argar: We had been developing a business case for the community prisons for women before moving to a community based approach and had not finalised a cost for these prisons. The evidence base on reoffending has continued to evolve and change. We continue to work with the model set out in Baroness Corston’s report, A review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System (2007). We believe that the steps we have outlined in the female offender strategy, including £5m of cross government funding over two years and the plan to work with local and national partners to pilot at least five residential women’s centres across England and Wales, is the right way to approach this but it remains only a first step on a journey. The publication of the female offender strategy on 27 June is the start of a new and significant programme of work to deliver better outcomes for female offenders at all points of the justice system. It sets out our vision to see fewer women in custody, especially on short-term sentences, and a greater proportion of women managed in the community successfully. This will take some years to deliver and we will have the opportunity to revisit funding issues as we take work forward.I remain committed to delivering these key reforms, which includes the female offender strategy, and ensuring there is sufficient funding for female offenders.

Discrimination: Disability

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to justice for people facing disability discrimination in (a) employment and (b) education.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has a responsibility to make sure that those in the greatest hardship and at the times of greatest need, can secure access to justice. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously.There are a number of avenues of dispute resolution available to individuals facing disability discrimination to try and resolve issues by agreement. These include the use of Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), judicial or other mediation.Those facing disability discrimination in an employment or education setting may also seek redress through the tribunal system. Our £1bn court modernisation programme has already started improving the experience of those who use and need our courts and tribunals, by introducing 21st Century technology, online services and digital working, while making sure justice remains accessible. These reformed services will transform how people experience the justice system, with digital services making justice more accessible and straightforward.

Private Prosecutions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of private prosecutions initiated in the last five years were the result of law enforcement agencies having declined to take prosecutions forward.

Lucy Frazer: This data is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Postal Services: Dangerous Dogs

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for attacks by violent dogs on Royal Mail and other delivery staff since 2015.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Crime: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase support for victims of crime in Nottinghamshire.

Edward Argar: The government is committed to making sure that victims of crime have access to a broad range of support services, to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. In 2017/18 we spent £97m to fund support services for victims of crime, we are forecast to spend broadly the same in 2018-19. The Ministry of Justice provides approximately £68m of this funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) to commission victim support services locally, based on the needs identified in their area. Just over £1.3m of this was allocated to the PCC for Nottinghamshire. My officials are considering longer-term and more sustainable funding arrangements as part of our work to develop a new delivery model for supporting victims and witnesses of crime. This work will form part of the Government’s Victims Strategy to be published shortly.

Speech and Language Disorders: Children

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the I CAN and Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' report, Bercow: ten years on, published on 20 March 2018, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to implement the recommendations in that report.

Edward Argar: We recognise that young people with speech and language difficulties are particularly vulnerable. We are seeking to ensure that practitioners who work with children and young people in settings with a known high prevalence of speech, language and communication needs are trained in recognising and responding appropriately to communication needs, and ensuring access to speech and language therapy as required.Over the past three years MoJ and the YJB have supported a national project, led by the Department for Education, to deliver special educational needs and disability (SEND) awareness training to the youth justice workforce. The Youth Justice SEND Bubble programme offered free training to Youth Justice System professionals, supporting them to effectively identify and meet children’s special educational and disability needs and allowing them to work towards more effective engagement and positive long-term outcomes.

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2018 to Question 157090 on Ministry of Justice: Buildings, how many days each Minister of his Department spent in Petty France between 10 March 2018 and 10 April 2018.

Edward Argar: Between 10 March and 10 April Dr Phillip Lee MP spent 7 days in the Ministry of Justice; David Gauke MP 12 days; Lucy Frazer MP 12 days and Rory Stewart MP 7 days. Lord Keen has a dual role as Advocate General for Scotland and MoJ spokesperson in the House of Lords, as such, he spent 3 days in the department on Ministry of Justice business. All ministers are required to split their departmental time between 102 Petty France and other locations such as the House of Commons / Lords. The information provided is for days spent partially or entirely in 102 Petty France.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department's review of the use of pain-inducing restraint across all child prisons and escorting procedures is planned to begin.

Edward Argar: The Government has committed to review the use of pain-inducing techniques in systems of restraint used on those under the age of 18 years in custodial and escort situations. We are finalising the scope and timetable for the review, which we expect to be agreed shortly.

Coroners

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prevention of future death notices issued to each NHS ambulance trust in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England related to NHS ambulance services in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England related to mental health services in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England related to primary care in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England related to NHS111 in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prevention of Future Death Notices issued by coroners in England related to Accident & Emergency in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information. Since 1 April 2013 coroners have been required to send a copy of all their reports to prevent future deaths to the Chief Coroner. In most cases the Chief Coroner will publish the reports and responses on his website at the following address although he is not obliged to do so: https://www.judiciary.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/office-chief-coroner/pfd-reports/

Ministry of Defence

Type 26 Frigates

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government's procurement of Type 26 Destroyers will include a requirement for manufacture (a) of components sourced from manufacturing facilities in Rugby and (b) in the UK.

Stuart Andrew: The Type 26 programme does not set the requirement on where equipment or components are manufactured or assembled, unless there is a National Security requirement to do so. This is a matter for the equipment and component suppliers and the lead contractor, BAE Systems. Throughout the Type 26 Frigate's lifecycle, from manufacture through in-service, equipment and components will be produced at many different locations across the United Kingdom and overseas.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures are in place to ensure that child claimants of disability living allowance who appeal the outcome of a mandatory reconsideration do not see their payments stopped between lodging of the appeal and the tribunal date.

Sarah Newton: For Disability Living Allowance (DLA), if a claim has been disallowed, a claimant is not eligible for any component of DLA, therefore no benefit is payable, including during the appeal phase. If the dispute is about eligibility to a higher rate and/or different component, as long as eligibility exists, the relevant component will remain in payment during the appeal phase. If a decision is overturned at appeal and the benefit awarded then the payment will be backdated.

Personal Independence Payment: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Garston and Halewood constituency have had their eligibility for the higher rate mobility component of DLA or its PIP equivalent removed due to changes in their benefits in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has different eligibility criteria and takes a more holistic view of a person’s health condition or disability and the impact it has on their ability to live independent lives compared to Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Therefore, when someone on DLA is invited to claim PIP and is reassessed, the level of their award may stay the same, go up, down or cease altogether depending on the claimants assessed level of needs. Data on changes in award levels for PIP claimants undergoing an award review in Garston and Halewood is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The table below shows the number of claimants in Garston and Halewood who received the higher rate mobility component on DLA and their outcome when reassessed for entitlement to PIP for each of the previous five calendar years. Table: DLA higher rate mobility to PIP Reassessment outcomes for claimants in Garston and Halewood. YearAward Received Under PIP Following Reassessment From Higher Rate Mobility on DLA.20132014201520162017Higher Rate Mobility Component0080320230Standard Rate Mobility Component0070250160No Mobility Component004013090Source: PIP Computer System claimant records and DLA Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study claimant data (1st October 2013 to 31st October 2017). Notes:1. PIP Reassessment outcome shows the outcome of the first DWP decision on each reassessment claim (i.e. they reflect outcomes prior to any reconsideration appeal action and award review), where that decision was made between 1st October 2013 and 31st October 2017.2. For each individual who has a PIP reassessment outcome their PIP entitlement has been compared to their DLA entitlement at the time of their PIP reassessment registration.3. Figures include reassessment outcomes for individuals who were aged between 16 and 64 on 8th April 2013, and include both PIP Normal Rules and Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claims.4. The breakdown of data provided is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.6. Great Britain only.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits on excluding disabled people from the under occupancy penalty, in the event that suitable alternative accommodation at (a) the same or (b) a lower rent not available.

Justin Tomlinson: An assessment has not been made regarding the exclusion of disabled people from the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy if suitable alternative accommodation at the same, or lower rent is not available. However, the size criteria rules that are used to work out the size of the household and whether the property is under-occupied for the purposes of Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, already allow an additional bedroom for disabled people and children in the following circumstances: Where a disabled child or a couple are unable to share a bedroom because of a disability or medical condition and where the person or child is in receipt of a relevant qualifying benefit; Where a disabled adult, disabled child or disabled non-dependant has overnight care on a regular basis from a non-resident overnight carer (or team of carers). In cases where a relevant qualifying benefit is not in payment, but either a couple or child are unable to share a bedroom due to disability, the local authority should consider whether a Discretionary Housing Payment is appropriate. Since 2011, the Government has provided around £1 billion to date to local authorities to help support vulnerable people affected by different welfare reforms. This includes £25 million per year to support disabled people living in significantly adapted accommodation, including any adaptations made for disabled children.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an exemption from the benefit cap for people that cannot actively seek work.

Justin Tomlinson: There are already a number of exemptions from the Benefit Cap including for those who are receiving many disability benefits as well as Carer’s Allowance. In addition, support is available via Discretionary Housing Payments to support those whose specific circumstances make it harder for them to move into work. We are undertaking an evaluation of the cap and we will consider the findings in due course.

Occupational Pensions: Mansfield

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled in a pension scheme Since 2012 in Mansfield constituency.

Guy Opperman: Since 2012, approximately 9,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled in Mansfield constituency.Automatic enrolment is a great success story. Over 9.8 million employees have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension, and more than 1.3 million employers have met their duties as at the end of July 2018.Nationally in 2012, the percentage of eligible private sector workers participating in a workplace pension hit a low of 42 per cent. This figure has now risen to 81 per cent. This marks a 39 percentage point increase in pension participation of this group since the introduction of Automatic Enrolment. Young people have embraced pension saving, with 77 per cent of eligible 22 to 29 year olds working in the private sector now enrolled in a workplace pension. For context, only 24 per cent of this group were enrolled into a workplace pension in 2012, before the introduction of Automatic Enrolment. And the proportion of people earning between £10,000 and £20,000 participating in a workplace pension has grown dramatically, from a low of under 20 per cent in 2012 to over 70 per cent today.

Homelessness: Housing Benefit

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing reductions in the level of housing benefit to meet the Government's homelessness reduction target by 2027.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has set out its plans to eradicate rough sleeping by 2027 in the recently published Rough Sleeping Strategy. A copy of the Rough Sleeping Strategy can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-rough-sleeping-strategy

Occupational Pensions

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the level of uptake of workplace pensions since that scheme's inception; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people participating in a workplace pension scheme in Bolton North East constituency.

Guy Opperman: Since 2012 in Bolton North East constituency, approximately 13,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled.Automatic enrolment is a great success story. Over 9.8 million employees have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension, and more than 1.3 million employers have met their duties as at the end of July 2018.Nationally in 2012, the percentage of eligible private sector workers participating in a workplace pension hit a low of 42 per cent. This figure has now risen to 81 per cent. This marks a 39 percentage point increase in pension participation of this group since the introduction of Automatic Enrolment. Young people have embraced pension saving, with 77 per cent of eligible 22 to 29 year olds working in the private sector now enrolled in a workplace pension. For context, only 24 per cent of this group were enrolled into a workplace pension in 2012, before the introduction of Automatic Enrolment. And the proportion of people earning between £10,000 and £20,000 participating in a workplace pension has grown dramatically, from a low of under 20 per cent in 2012 to over 70 per cent today.

Supported Housing: Finance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department plans to ensure that new supported housing accesses funding and exemptions from universal credit for new occupants.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 9th August 2018 which stated that we will maintain Housing Benefit for all Supported Housing.This reflects the particular needs of these vulnerable groups of people and the government’s commitment to protect them.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is between a complainant (a) submitting an enquiry and (b) receiving a conclusive response relating to women affected by measures taken to equalise the state pension age; whether that average waiting time meets her Department’s target response time for such enquiries; and what the trend in such response times has been in each of the last three years.

Guy Opperman: Under successive governments, departments have set up complaints procedures. The Department has a two tier complaints process which considers formal complaints about our service. As outlined on Gov.uk, DWP complaints processes encourages customers in the first instance to raise their issues with the office they are dealing with, as a business as usual contact, so we put things right. If the customer remains unhappy with the response, they can escalate their concerns, which will be dealt with by the Complaints Resolution Team as part of the formal DWP complaints process. The complaint is independently investigated. Where cases cannot be resolved to the customer’s satisfaction, the customer can escalate their complaint to the Director General as part of the tier two complaint process. Escalated complaints represent the final business review and response to the complaint.Once a complainant has exhausted the DWP complaint process they are signposted to the Independent Case Examiner’s (ICE) Office if they are dissatisfied with the final response to their complaint. Complaints received from women born in the 1950s and affected by changes in State Pension age are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. The role of the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) is to consider case-specific complaints of maladministration (service failure). The vast majority of the complaints that are referred to ICE are complex and require the circumstances of each case to be considered on its merits. Prior to the WASPI campaign the ICE Office routinely accepted in the region of 1,100 and 1,200 complaints for examination each year. At the end of February 2018, the Office had accepted 1,907 WASPI complaints alone. In January 2017, the ICE Office took the decision to bring a lead case into investigation in order to familiarise itself with the issues underpinning the campaign. This investigation concluded in June 2017 – the ICE did not uphold the complaint. Whilst the Office has had no additional resource to deal with the WASPI campaign complaints, a dedicated team of investigation case managers was established (from within existing resources) in October 2017 to investigate this group of complaints. The ICE Office aim to complete investigation within 20 weeks of starting work on a case, the WASPI related ICE reports that had been concluded to date have been completed within an average of 9.75 weeks. To date, the ICE had not upheld any case specific complaints that DWP failed to provide adequate and timely information relating to the increase in their State Pension age. All final ICE reports explain how the complainant can escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Office. There are no plans to dedicate additional resources to investigating this group of complaints, as to do so would disadvantage other groups of complainants whose cases are awaiting investigation. The Parliamentary Health and Service Ombudsman make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government Departments. This was set up in 1967 under the then Labour Government.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of decisions on claims are overturned in the period of time between the date of a decision being made on a Mandatory Reconsideration and a date being set for a tribunal.

Sarah Newton: The Department does not hold the information that you requested.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Standards

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will make it its policy to maintain the standards set out by the EU Bathing Water Directive once the UK has left the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Yes, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act will convert the existing body of EU environmental law into UK law. It will ensure that the same protections are in place in the UK and that existing EU environmental law continues to function effectively after the UK leaves the EU.

Home Office

Passports

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 16 July 2018 to Question 162516 on Gemalto, whether his Department has received reports of criminality from Gremalto in providing passports for those countries.

Caroline Nokes: In determining the decision to award the new passport contract to Gemalto, extensive due diligence was conducted and officials received unanimously positive references on Gemalto’s reliability in providing passports, ID cards and residence permits to a range of countries.No reports of criminality on the provision of passports for other countries by Gemalto have been received by the Home Office.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that medicinal cannabis products be moved out of Schedule 1 and into Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, how long it will take to reclassify the medicinal cannabis oil used by Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell; and whether he plans to ensure that all patients who might benefit from such treatment will be able to access medicinal cannabis by the time the House returns from its summer recess.

Mr Nick Hurd: Following the short term ACMD advice, the Home Secretary has confirmed that cannabis-derived medicinal products will be rescheduled. This means that senior clinicians will be able to prescribe the medicines to patients with an exceptional clinical need.The Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will now develop a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product. Only products meeting this definition will be rescheduled. Other forms of cannabis will be kept under strict controls and will not be available on prescription. We will provide more details about this definition and the kinds of products that will be covered in due course.The Home Secretary has been clear that speed is of the essence and the products will be available on prescription in the autumn.

Immigration

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on his review of his Department's policies on (a) immigration and (b) refugee family reunion.

Caroline Nokes: We keep all immigration policies under constant review to ensure that the immigration system operates in the national interestWe are listening carefully to calls to expand the scope of the refugee family reunion rules and are reviewing our approach. We continue to follow the passage of two Private Members’ Bills on refugee family reunion closely and will continue our productive discussions with non-governmental organisations in this area.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to provide additional resources to support border operations at UK airports during the summer period.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force is taking a number of steps to ensure passengers are dealt with quickly, including through investment in technology and maximising available staff at the busiest times of the day.Border Force is committed to providing an excellent service. During the first quarter of 2018, over 95% of passengers seeking entry to the UK at Heathrow were dealt with within the service level agreements.We have also increased resources that are available to the busiest ports. For example, Border Force is putting in 200 additional staff to help process passengers at Heathrow this summer. They will remain at Heathrow throughout the busiest summer-period to help ensure Border Force delivers an excellent service while continuing to protect the security of the border.The experience for British and other EEA nationals is further enhanced where those passengers travel using biometric passports as they can use our ePassport gates.

Immigration Controls

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate the Government has made of the effect of delays at border controls on the UK economy.

Caroline Nokes: The primary role of Border Force is to maintain the security of the UK border, this includes checking 100 per cent of scheduled arriving passengers, although every effort is made to minimise delays for passengers. We aim to get 95% of EEA nationals through the border within 25 minutes and 95% of non-EEA nationals within 45 minutes, and millions of customers each year get through the border in much shorter timeframes. In June 2018 over 99% of UK and EEA nationals, the vast majority of passengers, were processed within this timeframe at Heathrow.We recognise how important tourism is, worth £66bn to the UK economy in 2016 and with record levels of visitors in 2017, as well as business travellers’ time which is why the government is now looking towards developing a longer term strategy which will better balance prosperity and security at the border, including increasing the use of automation where commensurate with security requirements. This is alongside the steps taken now to ensure passengers pass through the border as quickly as possible, including additional staff at the busiest ports for peak times and increased investment in technology. We are committed to ensuring that Border Force has the resources it needs to keep the UK safe and we will never compromise the security of our borders.

Refugees: Liverpool

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what extra support he is providing to the Liverpool City Council for the Syrian Resettlement Programme.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees have been resettled in the Liverpool City Region since 2016.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many family links applications to the UNHCR have been successful in reuniting relatives of Syrian families settled in the Liverpool City Council area.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated from his Department to the UNHCR to support the processing of family links applications for each year since 2010.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to increase the funding from his Department to the UNHCR to support the processing of family links applications in the Liverpool City Council area.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The latest statistics detailing arrivals under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) by local authority are available in table as20q at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to#resettlementWe are grateful for the ongoing support of over 270 local authorities across the UK participating in resettling refugees under the VPRS. The Home Office provides funding to local authorities via a tariff payment per person. The year one tariff is £8,520 for direct local authority costs. The costs over years two to five taper from £5,000 per person in their second year in the UK, to £1,000 per person in year five.There is also an exceptional cases fund to assist the most vulnerable refugees. This funding is available to help local authorities with exceptional costs such as social care and housing adaptations.Where UNHCR refer refugees with existing family links to the UK and the UK accepts them for resettlement, we endeavour to resettle them as close as possible to their existing family members, subject to suitable accommodation and support being available.The funding provided to UNHCR covers the processing and referral of refugees arriving under the VPRS. It is not apportioned according to referral reason or by the local authority area in which refugees may be resettled

Home Office: Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of pay-freezes on staff of his Department who remain on legacy shift arrangements.

Caroline Nokes: The Department conducts an annual policy equality impact assessment (PES) to assess the impact of the pay settlement covering all staff taking account of their protected characteristic, to determine whether any factors (including the exclusion of any group of staff such as those on legacy shift allowances) have detrimentally impacted staff when analysed by protected characteristic. The protected characteristics we analyse are: gender, ethnicity, disability and age.

British Nationality

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) dual and (b) UK-only UK nationals have had their UK citizenship revoked in the last 10 years.

Caroline Nokes: Under section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981, as amended in 2006 and 2014, the Secretary of State is empowered to deprive, by order, any person of any form of British nationality if satisfied that:such deprivation is conducive to the public good (section 40(2))the individual has acted in a manner seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the UK ( section 4A));Under Section 40(3) of the British Nationality Act, the Secretary of State may by order deprive a person of a citizenship status which results from his registration or naturalisation if the Secretary of State is satisfied that citizenship was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of a material factWhen seeking to deprive on the basis that to do so is conducive to the public good, the law requires that this action proceed only if the individual concerned would not be left stateless, unless action is taken under the specific provisions in 4A,. In that case, deprivation will only occur if the person is able, under the laws of another country, to obtain another citizenship. No such requirements exist in cases where the citizenship was obtained fraudulently.Since November 2015 the Government has regularly published statistics relating to deprivation of citizenship under section 40 subsection (4A) of the British Nationality Act 1981 and section 40 subsection (2):https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-transparency-report-2018https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593668/58597_Cm_9420_Transparency_report_web.pdfhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/473603/51973_Cm_9151_Transparency_Accessible.pdfData relating to the deprivation of citizenship under section 40 subsection (3) is not yet currently published. As part of ongoing Home Office transparency arrangements it is anticipated this additional data will be published in November 2018.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish the Institute of Business Ethics 2017 report on culture, values and behaviours at Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Institute of Business Ethics’ report relating to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services was commissioned by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire Services. Publication is a matter for the Chief Inspector.

Home Office: Annual Reports

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which agencies and other public bodies accountable to him will not have published their annual report and accounts for 2017-2018 by 31 July 2018; and what the reasons are for each such body not having done so by that date.

Victoria Atkins: The 2017/18 Annual Reports and Accounts for the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Disclosure and Barring Service were published on 19 July 2018. The National Crime Agency’s Annual Reports and Accounts was published on 20 July 2018, and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner’s was published on 23 July 2018.Annual Reports and Accounts for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, Security Industry Authority and College of Policing have been planned with the Arm’s Length Bodies and National Audit Office, to be laid in the Autumn, following certification by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Police: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that policing budgets maintain alignment with inflation year-on-year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Following the Government’s decision to protect police grant in cash terms and provide additional flexibility to raise precept, each PCC is seeing their direct resource funding protected in real terms in 2018-19. The Home Secretary has made clear that the police will be a priority for him at the next Spending Review, which will set budgets for the longer term.

Police Stations: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the planned closure of half of London's police stations does not impact negatively on work to reduce crime levels.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government believes in local policing accountable to local communities. This is why decisions on the number of police stations and their locations are for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Mayors with PCC functions. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their local knowledge and experience.Before making decisions on the 2018/19 police funding settlement, I spoke to every police force in England and Wales to understand how demands on them were changing. This year, police funding is increasing by £460m including a £280m increase in funding for police forces from precept.The Mayor of London has announced that funding for the Metropolitan Police Service will increase by £110 million in 2018/19, including funding from increased precept and business rates.

Metropolitan Police: Reorganisation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the tri-borough merger among the police forces in Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

Mr Nick Hurd: Decisions on the operational structures of police forces are taken at a local level by Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), or Mayors with PCC functions.The Government believes that the police should be accountable to the communities they serve. Chief officers, PCCs and Mayors are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge, experience and local democratic mandate.

Motorcycles: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle moped-enabled crime in London.

Victoria Atkins: Reports of crimes involving motorcycles, mopeds and scooters, particularly in parts of London, are clearly a concern. That is why we are working with the police, industry and other partners to develop and deliver a comprehensive action plan focusing on what works and what more needs to be done.In London, the police are using new tactics including off-road bikes and DNA marker sprays to catch those committing these offences and Metropolitan Police figures show that these crimes have been decreasing since their peak in July last year. We are determined to support the police in their fight against crime and that is why the Home Office is consulting to change the law to give officers greater confidence to pursue suspects on the roads.

Acids: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he is taking to prevent acid attacks in London.

Victoria Atkins: As set out in the Serious Violence Strategy, the Government is taking a range of action to prevent acid attacks. This is based on the action plan announced in July 2017 which detailed four key strands: ensuring effective support for victims and survivors; supporting effective policing; ensuring relevant legislation is understood and consistently applied; and working with retailers to restrict access to acids and other harmful corrosive substances. This is being delivered and includes guidance and support to police officers on how best to prevent such attacks but also how to respond to a victim of an acid attack.The Government has also introduced the Offensive Weapons Bill which includes new measures on stopping the sale of corrosive products to under 18s, and making it an offence to possess a corrosive substance in a public place without good reason. This new possession offence will make it easier for the police to take action if they stop someone carrying acid as they will no longer need to prove that the person carrying the substance is intending to cause an injury with it.

Knives: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the participation of the (a) City of London Police and (b) Metropolitan Police Service in Operation Sceptre.

Victoria Atkins: Operation Sceptre originated as a Metropolitan Police initiative, but with the agreement of the National Police Chiefs Council, it has become a regular national week of action against knife crime for police forces in England and Wales. Operation Sceptre includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, test purchases of knives from retailers, the use of surrender bins, and educational events with young people.Both the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police take an active role in Operation Sceptre. The Metropolitan Police Service conducts its own local phases of Operation Sceptre every month, alongside the national weeks of action.The latest national phase of Operation Sceptre in February resulted in the following: 591 test purchase operations were carried out in retail premises. Of these, there were 469 passes. 122 resulted in the retail outlet failing the test purchase1212 stop and searches were carried out and 615 arrests made. Overall, 4104 weapons were seized918 weapon sweeps were conducted3660 knives were surrendered or recoveredMore than 600 education events were held to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives.

Forced Marriage: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of children under the age of 18 who are living in the London Borough of Havering who have been subjected to a forced marriage in each of the last five years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of children under the age of 18 living in the London Borough of Havering who have (a) undergone female genital mutilation in the UK, (b)  undergone female genital mutilation abroad and (c) who have been subjected to a forced marriage in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: Female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage are terrible forms of abuse, and this Government is clear that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling them. Work to put a stop to these crimes is an integral part of our cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, published in 2016.Data on FGM includes a 2015 City University and Equality Now study, part funded by the Home Office, which estimated that 137,000 women and girls who had migrated to England and Wales were living with the consequences of FGM, and approximately 60,000 girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had undergone FGM. The study also provides a breakdown of FGM prevalence estimates by local authority area which is available online at http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/12382/.In addition, NHS digital publishes data on the prevalence of FGM within the NHS in England. The most recent quarterly and annual statistics were published in June and July 2018 respectively. A detailed breakdown of these statistics, including by local authority and age, is available online at https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation.The joint Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) operates a public helpline to provide advice and support to victims, those at risk, and professionals. Statistics on the number of cases dealt with by the FMU, including a breakdown by region and age, are published annually and available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage#statistics-on-forced-marriage-collected-by-fmu . A further breakdown of this information (e.g. by London borough) is not collated centrally.

Undocumented Migrants: Calais

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK Government initiatives to prevent illegal immigration from Calais.

Caroline Nokes: In preventing illegal migration from Calais (and Northern France more broadly), the UK continues to maintain a strong cooperative relationship with France. Most recently, our two countries signed the Sandhurst Treaty at the UK-France Summit in January 2018, which demonstrates our ongoing mutual commitment to the juxtaposed controls and adoption of a ‘whole of route’ approach to illegal migration. €50 million of financial support has been allocated to progress this cooperation. Our cooperation with France includes joint work to improve security at the shared border in northern France; to reduce illegal migration flows towards northern French ports and to support France in returning migrants with no legal right to be in Europe.At the juxtaposed controls, Border Force officers use advanced detection technology available to identify migrants attempting to reach the UK illegally. In 2015 there were over 80,000 recorded attempts to illegally enter the United Kingdom from Northern France; in 2017 this was reduced to just over 30,000 as a consequence of the security enhancements and camp closures in 2016. This reduction signifies our approach is working, and builds on our cooperation under the Sandhurst Treaty, which has contributed significantly to a rise in the numbers being brought into the French asylum system, and a reduction in migrant numbers located around the Northern French Ports.

Seasonal Workers: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of recent decreases in EU net migration to the UK on the ability of businesses to recruit seasonal workers from EU member states.

Caroline Nokes: On 27 July 2017, the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to advise on our future immigration system after the UK leaves the EU. We will await their report, which is due in September, before making any decisions about the future immigration system. EU net migration remains positive and the recently published labour market statistics continue to show more EU citizens in the UK labour force than at the time of the EU referendum.

Refugees

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications by refugees for Indefinite Leave to Remain submitted since July 2017 have still not received a decision.

Caroline Nokes: Published data on UKVI’s performance against service standards for applications made in the UK as a whole can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-may-2018

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress he has made on preparations for the introduction of a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme; and what the timetable for the introduction of that scheme is.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading food and farming industry. We have asked the Migration Advisory Committee for advice on the UK’s reliance on EU labour and they will help us shape immigration policy going forward.

Refugees: Syria

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Government funding is available to the UNHCR for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the Liverpool City Council area.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the Hon. Member to the response given to UIN167144 on 7th September 2018.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the length of time EU citizens who participate in the private pilot of the new application process for the EU Settlement Scheme will have to wait for the outcome of their application.

Caroline Nokes: The application process for the EU Settlement Scheme will be simple and streamlined. Once the scheme has been fully implemented, we aim to process standard applications within two weeks, and during the private beta phase applicants may receive a decision more quickly.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the private pilot of the new application process for the EU Settlement Scheme due to begin in the North West on 28 August 2018.

Caroline Nokes: £170 million has been allocated this year for the further development and delivery of the EU Settlement Scheme. This includes building and testing the elements of scheme functionality which will be used during the private beta phase.

Asylum: Legal Aid Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking with other government departments to ensure that asylum seekers are able to present in their substantive asylum interview all information relevant to their claim and are able to access legal representation and advice.

Caroline Nokes: We are committed to delivering an asylum process which supports claimants in providing all information relevant to their claim to facilitate fair and sustainable asylum decisions. All interviewing personnel receive extensive training on interviewing and considering asylum claims, and must follow published Home Office policy guidance.Legal aid remains available for individuals claiming asylum. The Lord Chancellor is also conducting a review of the recent legal aid reforms and the Home Office is inputting into this. The Government is keen to hear from interested parties to establish the impact of these changes, and the findings will be published later this year. The Government also plans to use this opportunity of engagement with stakeholders to inform its wider consideration on the future of legal support in the justice system.

Immigrants: Detainees

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant women have been deported after being detained in an immigration detention centre.

Caroline Nokes: Section 60 of the Immigration Act 2016, which came into force on 12 July 2016, placed a 72 hour limit on the detention of pregnant women for the purposes of removal, extendable to up to a week in total with Ministerial authorisation.It may not always be appropriate for healthcare professionals to disclose confidential medical information that the patient has asked not to be disclosed. Subject to these limitations, Home Office management information indicates that 104 pregnant women were detained in the immigration detention estate between 12 July 2016 and 30 June 2018. Of these women, 20 were removed from the UK directly from detention.

UK Border Force: Airports

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2018 to Question 164380, what recent assessment he has made of how UK Border Force has performed against its target of processing non-EEA passengers at UK airports.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force performance against Service Level Agreements is kept under review and Border Force is directly accountable to the Home Office Permanent Secretary and the Home Secretary.Border Force service standards are that 95% of British and other European Economic Area (EEA) passengers, from the point they join an immigration queue, are seen by an officer within 25 minutes. For non-EEA passengers, the service standard is that 95% of passengers are seen by an officer within 45 minutes.Published data on the clearance of passengers at the border can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-may-2018.

Immigration

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals on immigration.

Caroline Nokes: The Government plans to bring forward an Immigration Bill in the first two-year Parliamentary Session as announced in the Queen’s Speech on 21 June 2017. The timing for introduction has yet to be confirmed and is subject to the Parliamentary timetable.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to ensure that in the event of no agreement being reached under Article 50 of the treaty on the European Union there will be a UK immigration policy that does not give special preference to EU migrants.

Caroline Nokes: The Prime Minister has been clear that as a responsible Government we continue to prepare for a range of outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. We are therefore stepping up our preparations across government. The Department for Exiting the European Union and the centre of government are working with all departments to make sure that the preparations for exit from and new partnership with the EU are on track.The Government is considering a range of options for the future immigration system and will set out details later this year. Free movement will end, we will control immigration in the national interest, and EU migration will be subject to UK law.

Immigration: EU Countries

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to ensure that in the event of no agreement being reached under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union there will be a UK immigration policy that does not give special preference to EU migrants.

Caroline Nokes: The Prime Minister has been clear that as a responsible Government we continue to prepare for a range of outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. We are therefore stepping up our preparations across government. The Department for Exiting the European Union and the centre of government are working with all departments to make sure that the preparations for exit from and new partnership with the EU are on track.The Government is considering a range of options for the future immigration system and will set out details later this year. Free movement will end, we will control immigration in the national interest, and EU migration will be subject to UK law.

Fraud

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support fraud victims whose cases do not meet Action Fraud's threshold for investigation.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office are supporting the rollout of the Action Fraud National ECVCU. The project is a proof of concept being trialled in West Midlands and Greater Manchester, and is built on an early Pan London concept. Fraud victims whose cases do not meet Action Fraud's threshold for investigation in these force areas are given two levels of service, if they are vulnerable they are offered a victim care service over the phone and face to face through local police force delivery.All of the victims that don’t appear to be vulnerable are offered a victim contact service, and if the victim is found to require more support they can be referred to victim care or the local force. To date the ECVCU has helped support over 11,000 victims of fraud. There are a further 10 forces wishing to come onto the service.

Treasury

Employment: Taxation

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which the Check Employment Status for Tax tool aligns with (a) case law relating to the test of mutuality of obligation used to establish that an employment relationship exists and (b) other such case law; and if he will make a statement.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 160282, what specific methods of testing have been used to assess the accuracy of the Check Employment Status for Tax; and whether regression testing has been used on that system.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2018 to Question 160282, whether he plans to publish the results of accuracy tests performed on the Check Employment Status for Tax tool.

Mel Stride: The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) service is designed to determine whether an existing or future contract will be one of employment or self-employment. The CEST digital service was rigorously tested throughout development, in accordance with government data standards and with input from external stakeholders, prior to release. The accuracy of CEST was checked as part of that process. Results have been tested by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) against known case law and settled cases. HMRC continues to work with stakeholders to understand their experiences of CEST and ensure that it works effectively. HMRC will stand by the result of CEST, provided the information entered is accurate and in line with HMRC guidance. CEST gives an answer in 85% of cases, and where it does not, people can call a dedicated HMRC helpline staffed by specialists who can give them further advice. HMRC has published its position on Mutuality of Obligation (MoO), and how it interacts with the CEST service: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722316/HMRC_paper_on_Mutuality_of_Obligation.pdf HMRC has published the list of cases that were used to test the accuracy of CEST: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cest-tool-tested-against-tax-cases

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Government Departments: Databases

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether any Government departments charge other such departments for the transfer or sharing of data; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Data sharing arrangements are established between government departments where necessary for a range of reasons such as improving public services, combating fraud and reducing public burden in providing data more than once. Where required a department may look to recover costs for sharing data for reasons such as feasibility, development and delivery of technical solutions that enable the secure sharing of data.

Women and Equalities

Public Sector: Equality

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Equalities Act 2010 so that the provisions of that Act on the public sector equality duty apply to Parliament and to hon. Members.

Victoria Atkins: As the honourable Member notes, the functions of Parliament are currently exempt from the Public Sector Equality Duty. Making the functions of Parliament and of individual Members subject to the duty would make Parliamentary functions subject to compliance requirements by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the control of the Courts, raising constitutional questions. Ministers of the Crown, when formulating policy, are acting as part of the Government and are therefore subject to the duty, as are Government Departments when preparing the policies behind primary legislation. The Government has no plans to change this position.

Government Equalities Office: Staff

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many civil servants are employed by the Government Equalities Office.

Victoria Atkins: As of 24 July 2018, the number of Civil Servants currently employed by the Government Equalities Office is 110, which equates to 102.3 Full Time Equivalent.

Females: Equality

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that indicator 5.c.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals is assessed effectively across Government.

Victoria Atkins: Indicator 5.c.1 is a non-statistical global indicator to monitor global progress toward Target 5c, which calls on Member States to ‘adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels’. The UK’s Office for National Statistics is responsible for providing UK data on the global indicators to the UN for its annual progress reporting. This Government has adopted many programmes and policies that address Target 5c, including the introduction of gender pay gap reporting regulations, increasing flexible working opportunities, promoting shared parental leave and implementing a strategy to prevent violence against women and girls. The Government will be reporting on its progress towards implementing Sustainable Development Goal 5 as part of the UK’s Voluntary National Review in 2019.

Homosexuality: Psychiatry

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the timetable is for the introduction of legislative proposals to ban gay conversion therapy.

Victoria Atkins: As part of our LGBT Action Plan, we have committed to exploring all legislative and non-legislative options to end this abhorrent practice.We will set out our timetable for delivering the commitments in the action plan soon.

LGBT People: Discrimination

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to tackle biphobia.

Victoria Atkins: On 3 July 2018, the Government published an LGBT Action Plan in response to the findings from last year’s national LGBT survey.Our Action Plan contains commitments that will improve the life experiences of all LGBT people; including those who are bisexual. We worked hard to ensure that the needs of all groups were addressed.Our commitments around improving the police response to hate crime, tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools, and appointing a national LGBT healthcare adviser will make a meaningful difference to their lives.We are also making funding available for other projects to be delivered by organisations and charities within the sector.We will also ensure that bisexual people are adequately represented on the new LGBT Advisory Panel.